A few weeks ago, I
made one of the hardest decisions of my life (not just career) and chose to
move on from illumin8. From a couple of purely-networking chats, an opportunity
presented itself to work for a firm that focuses mostly on client’s in the
music industry – which has always been a passion of mine. Even still, the
choice was in no way an easy one.

Funnily enough, it's
now almost 2 years to the day when my previous employer made me redundant.
Although I like to think nothing phases me, with a little girl who'd just
turned 1, I must admit to being slightly nervous as to where the next pay
cheque would come from!

Not too far into my
first real job search, I spotted illumin8’s job ad. If you’ve seen our recent
ad’s, the vibe and style of the ad was very similar, and completely different
to what any other accounting firm would write. I applied straight away and
although I'd a few interviews with some of your typical boring, try-hard Big 4
firms, illumin8 was the only one I desperately wanted.

Luckily enough, Andrew
saw past the stupid Lloyd Christmas haircut I was rocking at the time and gave
me a chance. To this day, I can’t thank him enough.

Illumin8 is all about
relationships. Coming from a firm where you were effectively a glorified
sweatshop worker, the opportunity to meet with clients and build relationships was
few and far between. It may take some time to realise, but when all you’re
doing is punching out work for people you never see, eventually it will get old.

At illumin8, building
personal relationships with clients isn’t just encouraged, it’s one of our core
values. It’s amazing what this does for both motivation and job satisfaction. Without
really realising, you’re now doing the work because you want to for the client, and not just because you have to.

Fun - not typically a
word you’d associate with accountants, but at illumin8 it’s also a core value.
Being able to be myself and have a bit of fun at work has been amazing and restored
my faith in accounting. One of the greatest compliments I tend to get is “you
don’t look like an accountant” which I’ve also heard from client’s when
referring to illumin8. I’ve enjoyed challenging the typical accountant
stereotype and questioning: does an accountant really need to look or act a
certain way to deliver value to clients?

Also, how many
accounting firms wouldn’t care about tattoos? Although I’m yet to rock a tee to
work, the fact that everyone knows I have them and I no longer hide it has been
weirdly liberating. Hopefully though, the team will remember me for the odd
time I did bust them out and lose my shirt at a Christmas party. Possibly after
a couple of CC and Dry’s. But hey, I like to have a bit of FUN.

Lastly, and probably
the best thing about illumin8, is the family culture. A lot of people will tell
you that a great culture is a beer together on a Friday. But it’s about having
like-minded individuals with common interests and friendship that exist outside
the 9-5. At illumin8, it really is a little family where everyone gets along
and truly cares about what they do. From the beginning, there hasn’t been a day
where I’ve dreaded coming to work.

I’ll miss the smell of
chicken shop in the air and the days where my 80’s hard rock playlist made it
to midday without anyone changing it. Although, probably not as much as anyone
selling Pepsi Max in The Village is going to miss me!

But, most of all, I’m
going to miss my work buddies and I’m sure we will stay great friends for life.
Illumin8 has been an incredible place to call home the past few years, and a
kick-ass experience that will stay with me for a long, long time.
To all the clients I’ve worked with, I’ve
enjoyed every second and thanks for putting up with me. Hopefully I’ll see you
all again one day.